Trapped in Dreams
by MilesTailsPrower-007
Summary: Boring, angsty, uncanon... angst. Discontinued. OLD.
1. Trapped Dreamer

"What is it..?"  
  
"Don't touch it Jackle...."  
  
"...but it looks funny..!!"  
  
"DON'T touch it...."  
  
"Okay, okay, I know..."  
  
I looked at that strange little thing...It wasn't a HUMAN from the Waking world...but it most definatly did come from the land of awakened people...The peculiar thing was, I'd never seen ANYTHING asleep in Nightopia...creatures from the Waking world only slept in their realm. They awakened here...yet...this...thing...It slept.  
  
Jackle booted it gently with his foot. "Wakey wakey!! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO SLEEP IN THE NIGHTMARE, YOU----"  
  
Wizeman grabbed Jackle by the cape and tossed him aside. All six eyes remained focused on the only thing that had EVER come into the Dream World asleep...Funny looking little thing...Almost looked like It ought to be a nightmaren. Jackle floated up and peeked over Wizeman's shoulder.   
  
"...Can I have it as a pet?"  
  
"NO!! BE QUIET AND STAY OUT OF THE WAY IF YOU WANT TO STAY AT ALL!"  
  
Silently, I watched as Jackle sunk back behind Wizeman, pouting. "What're YOU starin' at, Reala?"  
  
"Nothing" I replied sharply. I looked at Wizeman. "What is it...?"  
  
"A dreamer," Wizeman concluded. "...An odd one."  
  
"Odd?!" Jackle piped up. "It's not odd!! It's plain WEIRD lookin!!"  
  
"Stop acting like a child," I snapped at him. "If it's a dreamer, it has significance here..."  
  
I turned in time to catch Jackle mimicking me. I glared at him and he whimpered and sunk back into his cape. My eyes went back to the dreamer. It made me think of NiGHTS...that fool. If he knew about this thing, he would risk his exsistance to protect it, rather than himself. I would never fall that low...to feel...ugh. Still, I looked at that odd creature, curled up asleep with an odd smile on its face.....  
  
"Well, I know what I'll do..." Wizeman turned several of his hands toward me, looking at me with those multiple purple eyes... "We'll keep it here. See if It wakes up...see if it has the ability to leave..."  
  
"Sounds good," I replied. You cannot argue with Wizeman. Being the supreme leader here, and creator of all Nightmaren, failing to comply with his orders could be fatal. I flexed my shoulders. Hovering in one spot was becoming tiresome. There'd have been a kink in my neck if I even HAD a neck. Instead, I decided to request permission to leave.  
  
"May I be dimissed?"  
  
"Of course, Reala...Do NOT mention this to NiGHTS...."  
  
Jackle started happily bouncing up and down. "Oooooh secrets are fun!! Who can I tell?!!"  
  
"Idiot," I growled at him. "It's a secret, thus you do NOT tell..."  
  
Jackle's smile faded momentarily, then returned in an instant. "Can I tell NiGHTS?"  
  
"You MORON!! We AREN'T supposed to tell NiGHTS because he'll get all strange with that possession called 'feelings' that he's got now. Ugh..." I glided easily out of the nightmare with Jackle flying around like a madman behind me.  
  
"Okay!!! So I can tell my cards, and my hat, but no NiGHTS..?"  
  
I scowled at him in annoyance. "Go ahead. Tell all the inanimate objects you want...."  
  
He laughed like a maniac. "All my GOOD friends will know..." He pulled out his deck of cards, and spread them out like a fan in his hand. "Shhhhhh..." he whispered to them. "It's seeeeeccccrrreeeeetttt...."  
  
Having enough of Jackle, I swiftly turned to the right veering off the course he was taking back to Soft Museum. He was clearly locked in there for a reason...ugh. There was no harm in telling him anything. Alot of the time he acted so insane and childish he'd probably forget.....  
  
Author's Note: Chapters may come slowly. It varies...I have Chaos element to work on as well...I supposed whatever I have more thought for at the moment will be updated ^^ 


	2. In the Nightmare

Beautiful day...I smiled warmly and flew effortlessly through Spring Valley. This had once been my dream, but because early on I decided against listening to Wizeman, it now belonged to Gillwing. Hah, didn't matter to me anymore. Freedom to go where I liked was alot more fun. Ah...free of Reala bothering me. I didn't really understand what he hated so much about me...but...ah well. I guess our friendship from so long ago was behind us.  
  
I was feeling a bit odd at the moment...but...taking almost no notice to it, I decided to go see what Jackle was up to. He was pretty fun; a little crazy at times, but he was always happy, so it was kind of neat to be around him. I eased myself into a turn and directed toward Soft Museum. As I got close, I could hear Jackle's hysterical laughter echoeing through the place. I smiled to myself. Heh, he was clearly enjoying his own company.  
  
"Jackle!" I called to him cheerfully as I came in. He was doing a handstand, then fell over. I laughed a little. "Where were you earlier...?"  
  
He looked at me. His face consisted only of his eyes and mouth, nothing more. His body was entirely invisable, but when he pulled his cloak around his body, it did appear that he had a form. His eyes shone brightly, and he titled his head slightly when he looked at me. "The nightmare!!" he told me as though it had been great fun.  
  
"The nightmare? Why did Wizeman call you in..?" I asked curiously.  
  
Jackle scratched at the place where his nose would be if he had one. "Ahhmmmm...you know, I really forget!! But it was sure funny!!" He flew up above me and I followed, anxious to know why he'd been to that black hell called the Nightmare.  
  
"You don't remember?" I asked him. He was acting more like a little kid than someone who was insane right now...  
  
"Hmmmm..." he said thoughtfully. He took out his deck of cards and threw afew at the wall, where they stuck in by their sharp edges like darts on a dart board. "Something about something I'm not supposed to tell you."  
  
Ooh...that was making my curiousity more. "Aww c'mon, Jackle!! You can tell me!!" I smiled at him. He looked at me again. "I can't tell you because you're NiGHTS, and NiGHTS is the one I was told NOT to tell about the dreamer Wizeman has in the nightmare!!"  
  
My eyes widened reasonably. "Dreamer?! In the NIGHTMARE?!!" Oh no...That was terrible...!! "Is he or she alright?"  
  
"I dunno...Wizeman said it was asleep...So I kicked it..." He snickered. "But...it didn't yell at me. Wizeman and Reala did..."  
  
"Reala..." My smile faded into a deep frown...If Reala knew, nothing but trouble would become for this poor dreamer....  
  
"Did you know that the dreamer looks alot like a nightmaren?" Jackle seemed quite ammused, but I knew if I didn't at least TRY to do something about that dreamer...then...  
  
"Jackle...excuse me...I gotta go do something!" I cried suddenly, and tore out of Soft Museum.   
  
"But...I'm...BOOOOOORED!" was the last thing I heard him wail after me as I flew off. I felt bad leaving like that, but dreamers were the reason this world exsisted...I HAD to help...  
  
Stupid nightmare...it was such a distance off. I sighed and kept up my pace.  
  
"NiGHTS!"  
  
I froze. That voice...no, not Reala!!  
  
"Where are you headed?"  
  
"Ummm...nowhere really," I lied. I'd make a way out...or fly away from him.  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Ohh...Pretty good sleep...I thought. I blinked my eyes open. Darkness surrounded me like some sorta...nightmare. I managed to scramble myself up into a sitting position, and panic filled me up. "What the..?!!" Completly black...but I could still see myself. Slowly, I stood up, looking around cautiously, then walking foward. I hit what felt like a curtain. I gasped slightly, and backed up.  
  
Towering in front of me was a huge...oh good gawd I dunno what. Like one of those male manicans you see in stores that has no neck or arms. Just the shoulders down...A deep blue cape was draped over its broad shoulders and what I guessed what armour lay across. It had no face all all...just a spiked...thing. Six hands floated in front and on the palm of each hand was an amethyst colored eye.  
  
I screamed, stumbled backward and fell. The...thing just stared down at me with its six eyes. A deep calm voice spoke to me...but the words made no sence. Trembling, I forced myself to stop looking at it. It was hideous and frightening and it made me sick to think I'd touched it. Afraid, I started crying. I curled up, hugging my knees against my chest, wrapping my two tails around myself. I flattened my ears back too...maybe it would see I was afraid...Was that bad or good...?  
  
Breathing in a shaky way, I gained enough courage to look at it again. Sonic...why couldn't Sonic be here and protect me...?  
  
"Please don't hurt me," I whimpered. And...It laughed at me. I buried my face in my hands and sobbed. I was too scared to do anything else...After while, it left me alone.   
  
I looked around. Maybe I was safe...I looked around again from where I was. "H- hello..?"  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Jackle had been right. It did look pretty strange. Nonetheless, this dreamer needed me...I took a breath and glided down to its side. Small little thing...And it was curled up, making itself look even smaller.  
  
I gave it a gentle poke, and it took one look at me before putting its little face in its hands again. "Don't kill me..." it pleaded. Well...it wasn't speaking Nightmaren...but its English was spoken by Claris and Elliot so I knew what it had said.  
  
"Why are you crying?" I asked gently.  
  
It cried out in surprise and looked at me with tear-filled eyes. "Y- you can talk...!!"  
  
"Yes," I smiled. "I speak English and Nightmaren...Did Wizeman hurt you..?"  
  
It didn't understand much... "Wizeman...?"  
  
"The big ugly stupid one with the six hands," I explained. I smiled again, trying to ease its fear. "What's your name?"  
  
"Tails..." it said uneasily. Well, in the waking world things were not lacking gender...so this creature was obviously a little boy. And it had two tails.  
  
"But what are you?" I asked, interested in this new little creature.   
  
"A fox...a two-tailed one..."  
  
But...before I could tell "Tails" about myself, I heard something and my head snapped to look in that direction. "Keep safe," I whispered. "I'll come back for you..." I knew in a moment's time, Wizeman would return, and I darted out.  
  
We had defeated him once before, but he arose again, and re-created Reala and everything else. New things too, but I didn't care. He no longer had supreme control; he couldn't watch us as much. That was a small plus.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Heh heh heh heh...stuff is so much fun.  
  
Laughing was fun, throwing things was fun, asking dumb questions was fun...getting yelled at...wasn't.  
  
I laughed. I liked to do that; made me feel all sparkly. Heh, sparky. I liked that word...Grinning to myself and my cards, I began happily bouncing around...It was cool to mimic stuff, even Puffy. Puffy...she was so huge and round. Thinking of how stupid looking she was made me want to roll around laughing. But I was all alone in the soft Musuem...Reala often said I was in here because I'm a 'raving lunatic and don't deserve freedom'...I like to fly around though...And poke things. Heh heh...I poked Gillwing once...then he tried to bite me...Ooh. Too bad I wasn't wearing my cape...As long as I wear it, I'm safe...  
  
Safe from everything....even that funny thing that slept in the nightmare. I looked down at my invisable body and thought about its fuzzy body. It made me snicker...funny lookin' dreamer...I'm not crazy...I just think weird. 


	3. It's Like You!

There he was. That purple-clothed clown...  
  
"NiGHTS!!" I pulled him over. He looked at my as he always did...he still had that scar across his face I'd given him...I looked at him demandingly. "Why did you tear off on me like that not long ago?"  
  
"Why should you care?" NiGHTS replied calmly starting off again. "We aren't friends, Reala...You made it very clear."  
  
"You're just ashamed that you lost to me!!" I yelled after him.  
  
He turned to look at me and smiled. "I killed you, Reala. Wizeman brought you back to life. I won, you were killed."  
  
I smiled smartly. "I know you are ashamed of that scar. That scar reminds you of how you and I will never again be friends...and I KNOW how much that bothers you...." I grinned as NiGHTS' left hand clentched into a fist, and his shoulders tensed up.  
  
"That...hasn't got ANYTHING to do with it, Reala..."  
  
Something about the way he said it...Ugh, he was up to something. I knew it...and it had to do something with the Dreamer.... "You were coming from the Nightmare...and I heard NOTHING of Wizeman punishing you..." I crossed my well-built arms over my broad chest, waiting for his pathetic excuse. He and Jackle had much in common; both were pathetic and incredibly stupid at times, though if they were a bit more intelligent, they would've been quite formidable.  
  
NiGHTS looked at me oddly. "Well, I don't think you really care, do you? It just makes you look nosy, and Wizeman hates that trait."  
  
I glared at him. "You were in the Nightmare for a reason..."  
  
"Yes, I was. Everything's for a reason, Reala," he responded cheerfully.  
  
"STOP BEING SMART!" I scowled. "Did that insolent clown Jackle tell you?"  
  
"Tell me what?" He smiled mockingly and I began to get annoyed. "Tell me about the Dreamer you have in the Nightmare? Yes, he did. Nothing deserves to be in that place...nothing but us, the monsters which spawned from it..."  
  
I knew that Dreamer would be here awhile....more still, I KNEW we could acquire much Ideya off him. If he couldn't return to the Waking World, he would have to stay within dreams, thus, to stay here he'd need to produce more Ideya for himself.  
  
"NiGHTS...this one dreamer could supply enough Ideya to get us quite far," I told him simply. He waved it off.   
  
"I don't care!! It's cruel...Eventually, he WILL run out of hope...And if he has no hope here...he will have none in the Waking world...And he'll die, I'm sure. You must have hope..."  
  
I gave him a skeptical look. "What a pity you're so full of 'feelings' now. You were once a very good nightmaren..."  
  
"Nope. I was BAD. I'm good now." He smiled in an irritating, cheerful way that made me want to consume an entire army of Nightopians in annoyance to get my mind off it. Ugh...I hated the way he smiled. It was too happy-looking. I didn't smile...I grinned. I loved to show off my pointed teeth...  
  
"You incredible idiot..." I grumbled as I watched NiGHTS glide off. No need to consider it, I was going to tell Wizeman about this. This Dreamer was going to be excellent for Ideya...  
  
~~~~~~~~  
  
Well...hee hee hee...strange little dreamer...  
  
It couldn't see me...  
  
I was stupid...I'd left my cloak behind...Ugh....  
  
Little dreamer...It didn't even see me. I stared at it...So funny looking. I watched it...It's eyes were leaking water...What does that mean...? My eyes never leaked water...Does it mean its eyes are broken...?  
  
Hmmmmm...I saw NiGHTS' eyes leak water once.  
  
I continued to watch the dreamer. It was making little odd breathing noises, like it was taking air in really quick every once in awhile. I tilted my head and waited for it to stop. I didn't really like that funny breathing noise...It started wiping away the water from its eyes. I wanted to see why that happened.  
  
I descended down enough that I was behind the dreamer. What an odd little creature...I pitied it. Maybe it would like my happiness would make it feel better. NiGHTS liked when I was happy... I floated over its head and landed in front of it. It looked surprised to see my shoes. I laughed at its reaction.   
  
"Silly dreamer," I told it. It panicked and scrambled backward. It was staring through my body. I laughed again. Maybe it would like my cards..? I took them out, the whole deck, and handed it afew.   
  
It had gloves on like I did, only its were solid white with a buckle 'round the wrist. Oddest dreamer I ever saw...I wondered why I never saw it. Maybe it was Reala's job to give it nightmares...or Puffy's job, or Gillwing's job, or Jackle's job...wait, no....I'm Jackle. Heh heh...  
  
The little orange thing looked at my cards. It seemed calm. YAY!! I was doing good. Maybe I was fun.  
  
It dropped my cards suddenly, and red stuff stained its glove. Hmmm...another similarity to NiGHTS...When it got poked through the flesh, red stuff came. It looked up, trying to find my face. I grinned.   
  
"Silly Dreamer..." I told it. "I'm invisable!! And Reala thinks I'm 'crazy'!!!"  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I flew more quickly. Reala knew that I had found out...Darn it. I made it into the nightmare without seeing any sign of Wizeman, which was lucky.  
  
"NiGHTS!! NiGHTS! NiGHTS!!" Jackle flew up excitedly. "It does stuff you can do!!"  
  
"What?" Jackle wasn't making sence. Jackle clapped. He was grinning widely and I honestly hoped he hadn't scared our poor dreamer too much.  
  
"It leaks water from its eyes and when sharp things poke it, red stuff comes!!"  
  
"SHARP THINGS?!! What were you DOING?!!" I pushed past him and pressed further into the darkness of the nightmare. Jackle chased after me, flying in paraloops, trying to mimic the arcrobatics I did in mid air sometimes.   
  
"I let it play with my cards!!" Jackle said happily, as he darted after me.  
  
"Your CARDS?!!" I almost shrieked. "Jackle, he can hurt himself, unlike you!!" I sighed in frustration and kept flying.  
  
"Tails!" I called in English. Jackle cocked his head. "What? Whats that funny thing you said?" he asked me.   
  
"It's English...its what he speaks in the Waking World..." I explained quickly. And then the worst thing possible happened. ....I flew straight into Wizeman. 


	4. Into the Light

Stupid NiGHTS. For some peculiar reason I went after him. Off to the nightmare...I found him confronted by Wizeman. Jackle was joking around being an idiot beside him. Ugh, when was he not...?  
  
"And for WHAT reason do I find you in the nightmare? You never come here unless I tell you to NiGHTS."  
  
"I was...uhhhh...."  
  
Wizeman took a wandering look at me. I grinned wickedly. Perhaps I'd be of service...  
  
"Reala, I have a task for you as you just showed up."  
  
Excellent, Maybe I'd get to drag NiGHTS to his pitiful punishment...Ah that would be excellent...  
  
"Go and get me the dreamer..."  
  
I nodded. "Of course, Master. I shall comply." I flew past NiGHTS.  
  
"You suck-up...." he whispered, and I growled.  
  
I could still hear Wizeman saying something to NiGHTS and Jackle as I flew off. Those idiots...they never did a thing right. I would comply to any order Wizeman gave me....and oh, how I wished he'd order me to tear NiGHTS apart.  
  
I didn't go long without finding that peculiar thing...its bright color stood out in the dark too well. I stared at it. It was alot smaller than I, and I felt much more regal and superior. It was asleep again; very peculiar....how could anything sleep in the nightmare...? Not even nightmaren could manage that.  
  
It's right hand was bleeding with no sign of stop. It looked rather disgusting, but as long as it stayed in the nightmare, it would keep bleeding. I flexed the muscles in my arms and went to pick it up as Wizeman had asked. Light little thing; I had no trouble lifting it in the slightest...  
  
~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sleep...I seemed to go in and outta it. Half the time I couldn't control it. Even in the dark, where I didn't really wanna feel anything but fear because I couldn't feel too much else, it was like...I just let myself go...I slept. Why though...? I was afraid here...Afraid of the huge thing with the six hands...afraid of that thing I couldn't see that had given me its weapons...its cards. Those blade cards.....  
  
"Mmmmm...ughhhh my head...." My eyes fluttered open. ACK! I wasn't just in a black world...I was in something's arms....I looked up at the face. The color was drained so he was such a pale color he nearly looked blue. Icy cold eyes stared straight ahead, and we floated forward through the horrible darkness. He was wearing a red and black striped jester's hat. Where was this?!! Was it some sort of joke??!!  
  
Even still, I was scared, and the only thing I could do was let out a scream.  
  
Ugly clowny-thing...It turned its face to look at me and I almost cowared in his arms. His sickly-colored face twisted into a horrible grin and I covered my face with my hands.  
  
"Leave me alone!! Please...I just wanna get outta here...." I said softly.  
  
His sinister evil laugher made me feel sick...He held me firmly in his arms and after a bit dumped me down before that huge horrible one with the six hands.  
  
I squealed in surprise and tried to get up and run. That jester with black and red hat drifted down and held me with a grip that was digging into my shoulders. I couldn't go. It was all a big nightmare, this whole place and everything in it.   
  
"Tails!!"  
  
"Huh...?" I turned my head to look. That jester I'd seen before in the purple clothes. The one who could speak English. At his side was that invisable thing, holding its deck of cards.  
  
"I'll help you, I promise!!" the purple jester told me.  
  
"What do they intend to do to me?!" I sobbed.  
  
"You'll be fine. I can help you..."  
  
~~~~~~~~~  
  
"What are you saying?" Wizeman snapped.  
  
"He's speaking 'English'," Reala said as though I were some insignificant scum. "...Like that odd dreamer."  
  
"SHUT UP REALA!! THE DREAMER'S LESS FUNNY-LOOKING THAN YOU!!" I yelled in Tails' defense.   
  
"NiGHTS!!" Wizeman boomed. "I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS! SILENCE, BOTH OF YOU!"  
  
Jackle, being the smart one, had stayed quiet all along.  
  
I was too annoyed at how everyone was treating dreamers like objects. "Ironic how you shout the word 'silence'...."  
  
Wizeman's six eyes glared at me as though I'd done something dispicable. I sighed. "Wizeman...if you want the dreamer to live you have to treat him well. He isn't like us. Nightmares aren't his world...He needs more than we do."  
  
Reala glanced at me. "What could it need? It could live in the nightmare longer than expected and hasn't awakened to the Waking World."  
  
"...He needs comfort, Reala," I told him. "He has feelings, and they need to be cared for."  
  
Reala looked at me a moment then keeled over laughing. He dug his claws into Tails' shoulder.  
  
"AAAAAHHHHH OOOOWWWWWW!!!!"  
  
I flew over and pulled Reala's hand off. Then I grabbed Tails, holding him close to me to protect him.  
  
"You have to understand, Wizeman..." I said, letting Tails bury his face against my chest. "He will need his world to be bright to live."  
  
Wizeman looked like he was considering something. "...Very well..." he said hestitantly. "HOWEVER...I want Reala with you at all times to ensure you don't do anything stupid."  
  
I looked at him. "What is there that I could possibly do?"  
  
He glared at me. "Knowing you, there's many ways you could get into trouble. I know Reala wouldn't do anything like that."  
  
Reala smirked proudly. Jackle waved.  
  
"Did everyone forget me?"  
  
"You..." Wizeman sounded disgusted. "...The insane one. Reala, lock him in Soft Museum and MAKE SURE its locked this time." He shot a warning glance at me. "You and the dreamer go with Reala as well."  
  
I sighed. "Yessir..."  
  
Reala glided toward the exit. "Come on, you freaks!" He beckoned us to follow. I gathered Tails up in my arms and went after him. Jackle darted to my side.  
  
"It's alright...we're leaving the dark now," I said softly to Tails in English. He whimpered a little and hugged closer to me as we flew.  
  
"I don't even know your name...I just want outta here..."  
  
"I'm NiGHTS...you can't leave until you wake up..." I put my attention back on flying after Reala. Jackle slowed up a reasonable lot.  
  
"Ahh...I don't WANT to go...Reala's going to lock me away because he thinks I'm crazy...I don't LIKE being locked away all alone, IT GETS DAAAAARRRRRKKKKK IN THERE!"  
  
I sighed. "I know Jackle...but disobeying Wizman is a bad idea. I don't want anything to happen to you."  
  
"Fine..." He sighed unhappily and flew on ahead of me. He wasn't acting like himself.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
NiGHTS...weird name...I was still confused about everything. ...Wake up? What did he mean that I had to 'wake up' to leave? Wasn't I awake NOW?  
  
After awhile...the darkness ended. The brightness hurt my eyes a little, but I was really glad to be outside. I smiled at the sight. Everything was so pretty! Ahhh...lush green field, a beauitful sky....with the ground reflected on it...?  
  
"AHH?!!"  
  
NiGHTS stopped flying and let me down. The jester with the red and black hat was now getting far ahead, and so was that invisible thing. NiGHTS was smiling again. Was he the only one who smiled kindly? The others looked so evil when they grinned....  
  
"Where's this? Why is the sky so weird?!" I had lotsa questions...but I tried to limit them so he could answer.  
  
He laughed. "This is Spring Valley.This used to be my dream to ruin, but now its Gillwing's. It's all dreams, Tails. Thats why its so odd..."  
  
"Dreams? How can they be dreams? I'm awake..."  
  
NiGHTS stared blankly forward. "...It probably feels that way, doesn't it..? It probably feels just like being awake..."  
  
I was just more confused. "But I AM awake..."  
  
"No..." He put a gentle arm around my shoulders. "Tails...you live in the Waking World. Thats where your life is...Thats where your friends are...At night, or when you sleep, you dream, and you awaken into here...Nightopia...The Dream World. This world around you is all your dreams...but...we are the nightmaren...the things that make it all scary. One of us takes over each dream, and when anyone comes to close to us in that dream, we take away their dream energy, Ideya, and they fade from here. All Ideya is powerful...but the red stuff, the courage, is the most rare and powerful of all. The reason Wizeman finds you so peculiar is that you are in the dream world, so your ideya should be following around you...and its not..."  
  
"But...then...when am I going to wake up anyway..?"  
  
"I don't know...you've been dreaming for an abnormal length of time...No-one sleeps this long...Are you sure all is well in the Waking world?"  
  
I ignored the question and looked far ahead. The greenery gave way to red and black checkered ground...I pointed to it. "...What is that place..?"  
  
"Stick Canyon...Reala lives there...."  
  
"Reala..?"  
  
"...The one in the red and black hat. The invisible one is Jackle, he's a little crazy...and as I told you before, Wizeman's the big stupid one with six hands. Gillwing is a huge, ugly green thing, and he lives where we are now...Puffy is a fat, singing bouncing, bunny-thing, Claws is a cat-guy, and Gulpo is a fish...and an UGLY fish, at that..."  
  
Just then the one in the red and black, Reala, came back.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
I sighed in annoyance. "NiGHTS, do something RIGHT for a change, and follow me." I flew over and grabbed the dreamer by the arm, and dragged him along with me. It made a loud cry of either pain or protest, I wasn't quite sure. But I didn't care.  
  
NiGHTS flew after me and pried my golden claws off.   
  
"You have to be more careful! He's not as durable as we are, Reala, and he doesn't have any ideya!!"  
  
I scowled. "Give me a break. He's the same as anyone."  
  
NiGHTS glared at me. "No. And besides, I was the one given the job of protecting him...you're only here to bring Jackle back and make sure I don't do anything 'stupid'."  
  
I rolled my eyes. "Good for you, 'Great Dreamer-Guardian'. Ugh....Just come on, alright?" And I swiftly took off, looking back to assure NiGHTS followed. 


	5. Painful Memory

Circles, circles, circles, circles....Flying in circles too much makes you feel funny. I laughed and slammed into a wall by accident, making me laugh more. I was bored, so I threw a handful of cards up into the air and watched then fly down. Wheeee fun...I stared at em then threw the rest up in the air too. Once they all were flat down I started to build them into a house of cards...Yayness...  
  
I hate Reala. I hate him. He's evil and stupid-looking...Grrrrr....He locked me in here...Only NiGHTS cared....And now I sort of wished I could speak that funny squeaky language the dreamer spoke...see if it cared too....  
  
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NiGHTS had lotsa questions for me. He and...Reala...let me stay in Spring Valley because it was the sunniest and I liked it best. I chased those weird little cone headed angels, and spun my two tails so I could fly after them. NiGHTS thought it was cool how I could fly so differently from everyone else here.  
  
I was so much happier to be outta the dark...But...I didn't really like Reala watching me...Oh well. Laughing, I chased the little fairy-blobs. It was lotsa fun. ....Still...I wanted to be home. I wanted to be back with Sonic.  
  
NiGHTS called me over. "Tails...don't you remember what happened to you..? There's gotta be reason for you to sleep this long..."  
  
I shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'm just tired...?"  
  
"No...no one sleeps this long...and no one I have ever seen slept in the Dream World...."  
  
"Naw, I'm sure its nothing..." I took another step or two and....there was....  
  
....water...?  
  
FWOOOSH! ....I was encased within a big bubble full of water...I didn't fear at first...this was the dream world....Maybe my mind was merely taking a new course...?  
  
It didn't FEEL like a dream. I could feel the water pressure and the sort of lesser-gravity...And...I...couldn't breathe.....  
  
My lungs just took in a lot of water.   
  
Can't....breathe....  
  
I didn't even see anything right anymore. My eyes just filled with a dark blankness. My mind was only thinking about one thing....  
  
...Can't breathe!!!!  
  
C'mon...it was a dream...it couldn't do this...!! But no...I was drowning here....  
  
...Can't....breathe....need to breathe....!!  
  
God...I was choking...no air...just water...I would do anything I possibly could right now even for a little breath of it....My mind was getting frantic.  
  
....Need air...Can't...BREATHE!!!!!  
  
Couldn't last...I was gonna die...All I could think about was air....  
  
.....Choking....Need Air.....  
  
...Can't....BREATHE!!!!!!.....  
  
Suddenly the water dissappeared and I collapsed onto the grass in front of NiGHTS, taking heavy breaths....  
  
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Pitiful dreamer....I smirked.....  
  
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I...had NEVER seen anything like that before...NEVER. Of course...I wasn't really one of the wizest of 'maren...but Reala was apparently aware of what had happened. I rushed to ails' side and looked at him worriedly.  
  
He choked and coughed for a little while, and I had no idea what to do.  
  
"Tails...I need to know what's happening to you..." I said softly. "I just want to help you...please try to think for me...Of the Waking World...."  
  
He looked up at me tearfully. "I don't remember...I...can't remember any of it really..."  
  
"Try...please..." I ignored Reala grinning in the background.  
  
He looked at the ground, the tears on his face dripping down and his pointed ears flat back. He was sobbing quietly, and it looked as though he was trying his best to think...  
  
"I remember...I remember running....and...." He closed his eyes apparently concentrating. "....And....then....lots of pain....and...Sonic screamed my name....and...." He sobbed hard. "I...didn't see anything else..." He got onto his knees, hugging himself, crying. "Am I dead...?"  
  
I felt hurt for him. "Of course not! You wouldn't be dreaming...Now if only I knew what was wrong..."  
  
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End file.
